My sister, Kanaka, and I had a blast traveling together to a crafting convention in Salt Lake City. We stayed healthy and energetic through a grueling schedule of airports, luggage hauling, shuttles, and a jam-packed convention program. Since summer is the season of travel I want to share strategies for eating well on the road.

1) Bring baggies of sliced raw veggies: Carrots, celery, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers. Jicama and fennel heart slices too. The moistness of raw veggies feels so refreshing on a dry airplane.

2) Crackers. I enjoy the gluten free ones such as ‘Mary’s Gone Crackers’.

3) Hummus and yogurt in a small cooler bag.

4) Book a hotel with a fridge. You can store your remaining veggies and if you want to eat in for a meal you can combine your veggies with crackers and canned tuna or salmon.

5) Bring individual little applesauce and mix in protein powder for breakfast.

6) Another in-room breakfast idea is raw gluten free granola. There’s a brand in the Bay Area created by Cafe Gratitude that is such a treat. It goes well with the applesauce/protein powder mix.

7) Selecting and Adapting Restaurant food: Choose salads and or veggies with beans, fish or meat. These dishes are available at most restaurants. I skip the bread. Request that the bun on the burger and the fries be replaced with salad and grilled vegetables.

8) Since I’m sensitive to dairy, gluten, and eggs I generally avoid them by asking the waiter for help. For the times when a bit of something I’m sensitive to ends up on my plate I take special digestive enzymes, ie: Allergyzyme or DairyGest by Designs for Health. This reduces the fatigue, brain fog and bloating I feel when I eat the foods I’m sensitive to.

9) Skip the convention lunch if it’s full of processed foods and eat out. Kanaka and I found fabulous and inexpensive lunch places nearby and were able to eat a lot of fresh vegetables, good protein and whole grains.

10) I found out that the convention DOES offer gluten free options so next year I’m getting my name on that list. I assumed that wasn’t available and I was wrong. We did have a GF box lunch on the last day that was fabulous.

11) Dried fruit such as figs, apricots, dates.

12) Nuts and seeds like raw pumpkin seeds, cashews, pecans, almonds.

13) Water. I brought a bottle with it’s own carbon filter in it so I could refill from taps and water fountains and it tasted great. My friend and colleague, Rosie Liebe sells a type called the Bobble and they work really well.

It was a wonderful week of creative card-making with rubber stamps, inks and pretty papers. I was so energized and inspired. Eating healthy was a delightful experience that supported the good times. I hope you come back from your vacations feeling re-invigorated too.